Britannia Now … our personal opinion and observations on board

[Interestedcruisefan]

3 minutes ago, Britboys said:

I always book Club Dining, second sitting and so consequently have no experience of waiting or queuing for the mdr's. With regard to the theatre, I go to most shows for the late performance after second sitting dinner and have never turned up more than 10 minutes early and often arrive at the last minute. Can't say I've ever not been able to get a seat.

I do however appreciate that the situation may be different aboard the larger ships.

Once allowed again then obviously set dining times will come back so in your case you won't be needing to use the app for dining unless you want a change one night

 

Maybe in the future theatres will go first come first served again

 

I.hope not personally

 

Maybe some shows could need pre booking and later shows remain first come first served

 

Or certain parts of the theatre remain first come first served and others pre booking only

 

That way people can choose what they prefer to do

 

Covid is stopping this at the moment

 

I'm going to write to P and O and suggest we can start using the app to pre book the lifts! 

 

(Thats a joke by the way in case that upsets anyone!)

[bee-ess]

6 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I'm suggesting you having to ever head to the theatre well in advance of a show starting to make sure you got a seat is actually a broken system and stress you dont need

 

At some stage each week or day you must decide what show you want to see and what time you want to eat and where etc

 

30 seconds on an app can literally remove 15 mins plus of wasted queuing time and stress

 

I know which I prefer

 

If we all have to endure online check ins for flights and holidays etc with passport details etc then we aren't the dinosaurs you might think we are

 

And the apps are so much easier than you expect once you get used to them 

 

Honestly they are

There you go with the patronising again you are assuming I am in some way frighened of it - I worked in IT for over 40 years and am perfectly capable of using apps on a phone - I am telling you that I don't want to use an app to control my holiday, end of discussion.

[Interestedcruisefan]

23 minutes ago, bee-ess said:

I find this post quite patronising. Please don't assume that I don't understand the purpose or supposed benefits of the app. I have just told you that I don't want to plan my holiday down to the n'th degree and there will be others that feel the same. Let's just leave it at that.

 

In my experience P&O and IT don't go in the same sentence and you may find relying on the app may make you the only one without a seat in the theatre. That is my final comment on the matter.

Sorry if you found my post patronising 

 

That wasn't the intention 

 

I just really prefer the app compared to what I've experienced on previous cruises. 

 

Not everybody will I realise. 

 

However, I do think over time the app is capable of improving the whole cruise experience even for those who don't use it

 

As the ones that do embrace it won't all be turning up for things all at the same times in future meaning less queues going on full stop even for the ones that don't want to use the app

Edited October 9, 2021 by Interestedcruisefan

[Britboys]

10 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Once allowed again then obviously set dining times will come back so in your case you won't be needing to use the app for dining unless you want a change one night

 

Maybe in the future theatres will go first come first served again

 

I.hope not personally

 

Maybe some shows could need pre booking and later shows remain first come first served

 

Or certain parts of the theatre remain first come first served and others pre booking only

 

That way people can choose what they prefer to do

 

Covid is stopping this at the moment

 

I'm going to write to P and O and suggest we can start using the app to pre book the lifts! 

 

(Thats a joke by the way in case that upsets anyone!)

I give you a 👍🏻 for the lift joke 😀

[wowzz]

As a matter of interest, did anyone check your reservation before going into the theatre ?

[Bin man]

Enjoy reading about the app .As I put my phone in the safe switched off throughout the cruise as not to incur any roaming charges etc pay as you go phone ,I will rely on my samsuang pad will I be ok with that .I usually have it attached permanently to my arm my wife tells me but maybe leave it in cabin when we go for dinner and theatre etc .Any thoughts ?

[Interestedcruisefan]

31 minutes ago, bee-ess said:

There you go with the patronising again you are assuming I am in some way frighened of it - I worked in IT for over 40 years and am perfectly capable of using apps on a phone - I am telling you that I don't want to use an app to control my holiday, end of discussion.

 

That's not fair

 

I'm not assuming you are frightened of the app at all. 

 

You've stated "if it ain't broke dont fix if"

 

I'm saying the old way of queuing for everything on cruises is indeed broke in modern day terms at least 

 

We wouldn't dream in the world outside of cruises to have to leave meals early or rush drinks etc  rush things to then have to queue for a first come first served show or theatre 

 

Why should we have that stress on a cruise

 

So I'm not patronising you. I'm just disagreeing with you that it aint broke

 

We don't need to accept so many physical queues or having to get to venues so early  or avoid busy times for freedom dining etc just because thats what we've always had to do in the past

 

I think it's a change for the better. You disagree with me. Simple as that. No problem 

 

We can't all agree. But stop accusing me of patronising you just because I don't agree with you

 

 

Edited October 9, 2021 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

17 minutes ago, wowzz said:

As a matter of interest, did anyone check your reservation before going into the theatre ?

Great question !

 

The first show we went to  - no they didnt.

 

But there were loads of seats still available after it started

 

The other two shows yes they did and they were pretty full

 

We also booked a daytime talk but nobody ticked our name off for that. Again loads of seats still available though

 

So either they only check when pre bookings are close to capacity 

 

Or they just forgot to check for the two quieter things we attended in the theatre 

 

We also watched a film in the cinema once. That was pretty full. I honestly cant remember if we pre booked that or we just turned up.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2021 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

15 minutes ago, Bin man said:

Enjoy reading about the app .As I put my phone in the safe switched off throughout the cruise as not to incur any roaming charges etc pay as you go phone ,I will rely on my samsuang pad will I be ok with that .I usually have it attached permanently to my arm my wife tells me but maybe leave it in cabin when we go for dinner and theatre etc .Any thoughts ?

I have an android. My wife used iPhone. Both worked for the app.

 

The app works FOC for everybody who logs on

 

If you are still in the virtual queue for a meal when you leave your cabin then you need something with you to receive the message when you are at front of the queue 

 

If youve already had the message in the cabin you wouldn't need to take with you

 

It was only the MDR we joined virtual queues for. 

 

For shows and speciality restaurants,  talks etc you've simply pre booked and your name will be on the list waiting. So you only really need to take a phone or iPad etc out with you if you are in a virtual queue. 

 

Or if you are addicted to it of course like most

 

Or for taking photos (as my wife would claim)

[davecttr]

54 minutes ago, Bin man said:

Enjoy reading about the app .As I put my phone in the safe switched off throughout the cruise as not to incur any roaming charges etc pay as you go phone ,I will rely on my samsuang pad will I be ok with that .I usually have it attached permanently to my arm my wife tells me but maybe leave it in cabin when we go for dinner and theatre etc .Any thoughts ?

Yes, I used my Nokia Android smartphone which happens not to have a SIM in it so only works with WiFi. My mobile is a PAYG non smart phone with BIG pensioner buttons. Next cruise I am taking my Samsung tablet as well and that will run the P&O 'App' but its primary purpose is replacing my elderly Kindle for reading e-books.

 

You can also check your onboard account details on the cabin TV

[Baggy178]

I like the idea of being able to check availability of shows,dining etc from the comfort of my seat in the bar.

Not quite sure how that makes life more stressful.

It saves a lot of faffing about.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Bin man said:

Enjoy reading about the app .As I put my phone in the safe switched off throughout the cruise as not to incur any roaming charges etc pay as you go phone ,I will rely on my samsuang pad will I be ok with that .I usually have it attached permanently to my arm my wife tells me but maybe leave it in cabin when we go for dinner and theatre etc .Any thoughts ?

If you put your phone into airline mode, you will not incur roaming charges, but should still be able to log onto  the ship's wifi . Or at least,  that is my understanding. It certainly is the procedure on Princess.  

[Interestedcruisefan]

9 minutes ago, Baggy178 said:

I like the idea of being able to check availability of shows,dining etc from the comfort of my seat in the bar.

Not quite sure how that makes life more stressful.

It saves a lot of faffing about.

Even better if the show starts at 7.45pm know you can get there for closer to 7.45pm rather than closer to 7.15 pm

 

I think other smaller live venues have even longer queues at times don't they?

 

On Carnival the comedy clubs on board often had large queues and were often full by the time you got to the front of the queue 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2021 by Interestedcruisefan

[Adawn47]

2 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

John I agree   - but you say rarely but that's not the same as never

 

And we all already knew busy times to avoid regradless

 

But what if you didn't want to share a table John? The answer is you had to go away and come back. With the app you no longer have to go away and come back. The table is ready for you 

 

And we all know due to Covid not the app we generally havevto avoid sharing tables it would seem?

 

 

 

 

As someone who prefers a two top we always book freedom dining. We get ready when we feel like it and then go down for dinner. If we have to take a pager, which is more often that not, it doesn't matter. We have a quiet pre-dinner drink and wait. We're on holiday, what's the hurry? If there's a particular show we'd like to see we go down half an hour earlier. Simples😉

Avril

[evitacruiser]

Thanks for the review.

 

We are Celebrity cruisers usually but looking to book P&O for Feb for the itinerary and now wondering if we are doing the right thing.

 

Did it seem that Celebrity are handling the protocols differently?

[Eglesbrech]

2 hours ago, bee-ess said:

We can now book shows 14 days before our cruise starts - how many will just book every show and decide on the night if they want to go or not thus leaving empty seats ?

I can see the app seat booking being the new chair hogging issue. People booking spaces and events they then don’t use, the app becomes the virtual towel, book and sun glasses to bag the seat.

 

Im beginning to think P&O is no longer for me and I suspect some long term passengers will feel the same way while others will roll with it. Depends to an extent what happens post Covid restrictions.

 

 

[Adawn47]

2 hours ago, Britboys said:

Maybe they will introduce the Iona-style menus etc on board Aurora & Arcadia with the intention of alienating older, long-standing pax, so that they can dispose of the smaller, older, less profitable ships sooner...?

Please don't give them any more ideas Andrew. Not only am I one of Angel's dinosaurs, I'm also an ostrich😁

Avril

[wowzz]

20 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

As someone who prefers a two top we always book freedom dining. We get ready when we feel like it and then go down for dinner. If we have to take a pager, which is more often that not, it doesn't matter. We have a quiet pre-dinner drink and wait. We're on holiday, what's the hurry? If there's a particular show we'd like to see we go down half an hour earlier. Simples😉

Avril

That is exactly what we do. (Especially the pre-dinner drink part !)

[grapau27]

39 minutes ago, wowzz said:

If you put your phone into airline mode, you will not incur roaming charges, but should still be able to log onto  the ship's wifi . Or at least,  that is my understanding. It certainly is the procedure on Princess.  

It says put your phone in airplane mode but when I did I could not access the app.

On Britannia and Iona they were checking bookings at the theatre entrance but still let people in without bookings.

At check in at the terminal we were asked if we had insurance but they did not check.

Lots of people said the same thing.

Graham.

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

It says put your phone in airplane mode but when I did I could not access the app.

Sorry, i should have added that after putting your phone into airplane mode, you then need to reactivate wifi, to allow you to connect to the ship's wifi.

[zap99]

On 10/8/2021 at 9:53 AM, Cruise Puss said:

 

Absolutely. We were on Iona's Maiden and the virtual queuing was a bit of a nightmare.  People were not happy.  It's fine if you want to go when everyone else doesn't, but most people like to go to dinner between 7:30pm and 8:30pm. When you have a Club Dining table you would obviously go for 8:30pm sitting;  if you prefer Freedom you turn up, and if there isn't a table ready then you were given a pager. Worked fine.

 

Why they can't do what Princess do I really don't know.  You can either book a table in the MDR for the same time every night, or you just turn up.  Admittedly they don't have 'Club Dining' but having the same time for your table every night is better than nothing.

 

We are also not at all happy with the 'new' menus. I do not know of a restaurant where you do not have 'Starters', 'Mains' and 'Desserts' listed. P&O's are weird now.  What idiot sat at some meeting and decided that 'Large Plates', 'Small Plates', etc etc was the right way to go is beyond us, and why are so many of their meals now spicy!  My Mother-in-Law has enormous problems trying to find something that isn't too spicy, or doesn't have masses of garlic in it, and don't get us started on the new Beach House menu.  It was a lovely menu before, now it's spicy and nothing else.  We simply can't go there anymore - such a shame.  Oh, and why on earth have they got rid of the Wine Waiters. The Restaurant Waiters are already rushed off their feet, without having to get wine etc for everyone, and a Wine Waiter is supposed to be an expert;  ordinary Waiters cannot possibly be expected to know which wine to choose.  Absolutely ridiculous decision to get rid of them.

 

Oh, and the drinks on Iona.... don't know whether it's the same now on Britannia - I sincerely hope not - but if you want an ordinary well known cocktail in any bar on Iona you can't have one. All bars have 'Signature Cocktails', plus wine and certain beers. My Husband wanted to try the new Gin on Iona. He asked for it in the Emerald Bar - answer was "No, sorry, we don't serve that here".  Don't get me wrong, the Signature Cocktails were very nice, but you should be able to ask for any well-known cocktail in any of the bars and it should be available.  This is certainly not the way to go.

 

All this is leading to the fact that we are, after 20 years of cruising with P&O, getting decidedly fed up with them.  I do feel sorry for the staff who are, without doubt, fabulous, and, from speaking to them ourselves, and hearing from others, not happy.

 

There, rant over.

 

(If anyone else, other than bees-ess, reads this feel free to disagree, but if you're rude and aggressive I am not interested.)

 

Cheers

CP

 

Small plates, large plates etc is quite normal on modern menus. Some folk like small plates for their main, or only course. Many customers nowadays know more about wine than the alleged expert who is trying to flog you stuff with the biggest margin. Times they are a changing.

[Adawn47]

42 minutes ago, Baggy178 said:

I like the idea of being able to check availability of shows,dining etc from the comfort of my seat in the bar.

Not quite sure how that makes life more stressful.

It saves a lot of faffing about.

There are two kinds of people nowadays. Those who are permanantly attached to their phones etc, and can't  possibly get through every single hour of the without it. Then there are those of us who would  rather just live life as it comes.

I run our day to day life via the laptop and phone, banking, shopping, booking holidays, keeping in contact with family and friends 'scripts and doctors  appointments etc and chatting on here😉, but when we're on holiday the laptop  isn't needed and stays at home, the phone is turned off and in the safe, where it stays until the holiday is over.

Avril

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

Covid doesnt allow us to share tables currently does it?

 

In the past I've always like you had to go 15 mins plus early to the theatre to get a seat

 

Sometimes that was stressful being honest

 

Hence I really hope they continue with allowing at least those of us who want to - to be able to prebook theatre, know there is space waiting for us and just turn up 5 mins early without any stress or rush at all 

 

It was way better for us

 

Hopefully they will at least keep some parts of the theatre available for pre booking if not all of it

 

People often don't like change 

 

But many times it can be for the better

 

 

You were the one who raised the pre covid issue of needing to accept a pager, we know covid has now changed things so you cannot make accurate comparisons.

[zap99]

3 hours ago, bee-ess said:

We can now book shows 14 days before our cruise starts - how many will just book every show and decide on the night if they want to go or not thus leaving empty seats ?

If there are 2 shows  and a comedian in the main theatre you can book 2 shows and a comedian. If you try and book the same show 14 times, you can't.

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

You were the one who raised the pre covid issue of needing to accept a pager, we know covid has now changed things so you cannot make accurate comparisons.

I dont understand this post John?